After its debut at the Asian Aerospace Air Show at Singapore in February 2004, the Sarang Team carried out numerous displays in India and abroad performing in over 35 air shows all over the world

The origin of the ‘Sarang’ Helicopter Display Team, the pride of the Indian Air Force (IAF) today, lies in the erstwhile advanced light helicopter (ALH) evaluation flight raised at Aircraft and System Testing Establishment (ASTE), Bangalore, on March 18, 2002. On completion of the initial field evaluation of the indigenously manufactured ALH, the unit was tasked to develop a profile to showcase the attributes of the ALH that was later renamed as Dhruv. The evaluation flight put together a three-ship team of the Dhruv helicopter and developed a flying display profile with some breathtaking manoeuvres in formation. The fourth aircraft was added to the display team a year later with the aim to enhance the strength of the team to five.

The team, initially located in Kolar, was formally christened in October 2003 as ‘Sarang’ (peacock in Sanskrit) and was accorded a new identity as 151 Helicopter Unit (HU) in June 2004. In April 2005, 151 HU was relocated at Air Force Station at Yelahanka, north of Bangalore. In late 2009, for operational compulsion, 151 HU was moved to the Air Force Station at Sulur, near Coimbatore.

Leaving a Global Mark

After its debut at the Asian Aerospace Air Show at Singapore in February 2004, the Sarang Team carried out numerous displays in India and abroad performing in over 35 air shows all over the world. Within India, the team has performed and continues to do so, on a regular basis at the Aero India International Air Show at Bangalore as also at the “passing out parades” at the National Defence Academy at Pune, the Air Force Academy at Hyderabad and at other important functions. Its performance at the Al Ain Aerobatic Show in the UAE in January 2005, earned the reputation of being one of the best display teams of its kind in the world. The team participated in the Berlin Air Show in May 2008 where it was adjudged as the best looking close formation team. The team made history after its five helicopters flew across the English Channel from Germany to the United Kingdom.

In a short span of time, the Sarang Team has earned a name for itself as a professional display team. It has the unique distinction of being one of the two operational helicopter display teams in the world, the other being ‘Blue Eagles’ of the British Army. As compared with fixed wing aircraft, daring manoeuvres by helicopters flying in formation is far more difficult and professionally highly challenging. This is on account of the inherent instability of the machine as also the large and unwieldy rotors. This is what makes Sarang so special and unique. The team continuously strives for perfection and develop new profiles. In the recent past, it has added the stall turn known as the ‘Dolphin’s Leap’, the heart-stopping ‘Crossover Break’ followed by the ‘Arrow’, wingovers, flying rearwards and its final signature manoeuvre, ‘The Sarang Split’, in which the four helicopters fly over each other vertically and horizontally to form a knot.

Development of the Dhruv

Development of the Dhruv by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in collaboration with MBB (now Eurocopter Deutschland) began in 1984 and the prototype undertook its maiden flight in August 1992. It has been designed as a multi-role, multi-mission helicopter for both military and civilian use. The helicopter features a hinge-less composite main rotor with elastomeric bearings and a bearing-less tail rotor. It is powered by two TM 333-2B2 engines from Turbomeca, a company under the Safran Group of France. The design of the main and tail rotors as well as the power delivered by the two engines are what give the Dhruvs in the Sarang Team the capability to manoeuvre the way they do. Such performance cannot be obtained from helicopters of conventional rotor design.

The Sarang’s ‘symphony in the air’ is a statement of the capabilities that this twin-engine multi-role aircraft can undertake with roles ranging from the routine to specialised wartime roles such as heli-borne assault or casevac. The only modification to the Dhruv of the Sarang Team, specific to its flying display task, is the installation of smoke generators. Also, these helicopters sport a thematic paint scheme with a peacock superimposed on a bright red background. Both the smoke generators and the external attire enhance the impact of the flying display.